Vaishali Rameshbabu will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Champion title

15th April 2026

24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu from Chennai, India, will challenge Ju Wenjun from China for the Women's World Champion title after winning today the FIDE Women's Candidates in Cyprus with a final score of 8,5 out of 14.
In an exciting final round, Vaishali defeated Kateryna Lagno in a magnificent display of technique, while her immediate rival Bibisara Assaubayeva from Kazakhstan only drew in her game against Divya Deshmukh.  

Final standings (after 14 rounds):
1. Vaishali Rameshbabu (India)  8,5 points
2. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan)  8,0 points
3. Zhu Jiner (China)  7,5 points
    Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE)  7,5 points
5. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine)  7,0 points
6. Kateryna Lagno (FIDE)  6,5 points
7. Divya Deshmukh (India)  5,5 points
    Tan Zhongyi (China)  5,5 points